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International Expat Wealth ManagementMon, 28 Aug 2017 11:38:15 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.1Expat Retirement Planning: How much do you need?http://expatwealth.com/2016/08/16/expat-retirement-plans/
http://expatwealth.com/2016/08/16/expat-retirement-plans/#respondTue, 16 Aug 2016 07:29:54 +0000http://expatwealth.com/?p=2979Regrettably, most people do not want to think about the answer. It will be costly. I cannot help that. After all it is what YOU want, not me. But let us think about it. I assume that people try to play down their needs to me on the assumption that either I will believe them, […]

]]>Regrettably, most people do not want to think about the answer. It will be costly. I cannot help that. After all it is what YOU want, not me. But let us think about it.

I assume that people try to play down their needs to me on the assumption that either I will believe them, I will make them save less (as if that is my decision anyway) or will think that they are not worth the time and I will then leave them be. They are kidding only themselves. This is a serious business.

The first issue to consider is your current spending habits and outgoings. When you get to retirement, will you still be paying a mortgage (I hope not) or education fees for your children? Those are big expenditures. Not having to find the money for those will mean that you need less to live on then than you might need at the moment. We must also think about your lifestyle? Do you spend a lot of money on treats or luxuries, do you run three cars when two should be sufficient? The questions go on and on.

Think about this next question very carefully. Do you think you will need more money in retirement than you need now that you are working? Remember that you will have a lot more spare time on your hands. In fact, all day, every day, seven days a week. Do you intend to sit at home in front of the television or do you want to use the time to see the world and get out and live a fulfilling life? It is my belief that most people will want (and need) more money in retirement than whilst working. After all, holidays, cruises, good books, the theatre, fine wine and meals do not come cheaply.

This all needs to be balanced though against what is affordable to the individual. Wanting to live the life of a king but only being able to save £50 each month will lead to a lot of disappointment (I should know, I want to live like a king too!). That brings us back to the main question, ‘How much do you need?’ For, if you live on say £15,000 per year, you probably do not need to retire on £200,000 per year. Certainly, it would be nice though.

Let us do a little theoretical retirement planning.

We shall assume a few things before we start:

1. You wish to retire at age 60.

2. You want to get to retirement age and just live off money held in the bank. It is very low risk, you do not have to manage the funds, just withdraw the income (the interest paid).

3. That you want an income (forget taxation for the time being, that just complicates this) of £30,000 per annum. (An income that is above the current UK average wage now in 2011/12 but won’t be in twenty years time and probably won’t be a particularly big sum either by then).

4. That you are earning 3% interest on your money. (Who knows what interest rates will be then, but this rate is a reasonable guide now. Of course, as interest rates change, so does the amount that you will need to save.)

5. You have no other retirement savings in place.

How big a ‘pension pot’ will you need to have somehow invested to get this income at age 60? Have three guesses. No cheating. No calculators.

Ok. So it is a simple sum and you got it quickly at the first attempt. But yes, that is correct, the answer is a million pounds (that is £1,000,000). That is a win on the lottery or the football pools. It is a lot of money. But, £30,000 really is not that big an income. In the grand scheme of things, it is not huge. Sure, it might be more than you are making right now and that will be the case for a lot of people in the UK, but huge, it isn’t.

So you won’t need that. Fair enough. Halve it. Will you need £15,000 per year? I think the answer to that question for most people is a resounding ‘Yes’. That means a pot of half a million will be required. That is still a big sum of money. Hang on though. If you work for forty years and earn £15,000 each year, in total you would have earned £600,000. How on earth do you manage to save a sum like that?

Therein lies the problem that the entire pension industry has. Where on earth can the money come from? Governments and corporations are all saying ‘not me’. It is hard to blame them for not wanting to foot the bill when such a large amount of money is required.

To help you out though, it is likely that the state will provide ‘something’ at retirement in the UK. What that may be in the future, who can say? Yet, realistically, their current target is that everyone should have at least £100 (for the individual) or £150 (per couple) to live on each week. If you were to retire next week, mortgage paid, what sort of standard of living would you have on £100 each week? Pay your bills and council tax, buy some food, and the occasional book. Can you afford to run your car? I didn’t think so. The government then, will keep you from dying through starvation, but what else?

If we assume that you actually do require the £15,000 I mentioned earlier, what will the impact of the state pension be? By lowering your requirement by £5,000 each year, we are able to lower the size of bank balance from which you need to live. If we still assume you earn a 3% interest rate on your money, you now need a bank balance of somewhere around the £330 to £340 thousand area. These figures are still far larger than the average man on the street has tucked away. More achievable certainly, but far more than the average guy has.

This, as I am sure you are now realising, will take a lot of commitment to save. Twenty five pounds each month will not get you there (as much as we all would like). In fact, the amount you need to save each month depends very heavily on the age you wish to retire at and the number of years until that date. As an example, to hit a target of £340,000 (as I mentioned above) in twenty years time would require savings of around £1250 each month. Now do you realise just how seriously you need to be taking your retirement planning? Even with a thirty year savings term, you would need to be putting aside in the region of £800 each month.

What if you need to aim for that one million pounds figure instead? In late 2001, one of the companies that dominate the International market released figures highlighting the costs of full retirement planning. The target being aimed for is one million pounds and they detailed the amount required to save that figure in 10, 20 and 30 year’s time. They also assumed that the funds grew at an average of just 5% compounded each year. Bear in mind that being in the International market, tax is not an issue (there is no tax relief on any contributions and the funds are not taxed whilst invested) so these are just about the true figures that would need to be saved each month by you the investor.

Savings Term / Amount Required Monthly

30 years / £1,349
20 years / £2,640
10 years / £6,981

Did that scare you? That is a lot of money. Nearly £7,000 each month is, I am sure, out of the reach of almost everyone in Britain as you would need to pay £83,772 each year just in pension contributions. How many people do you know that can do that?

If you can see anything from the numbers above, it must surely be that the key is to START EARLY. The sooner that you start saving, the more monthly pay cheques will be available to be used. On top of that, a large proportion of the money that you save each month and year can (and should) be invested to grow. The more years you have in which to save, the longer the money can grow and therefore less saving by you should (and shall) be required. The more you can save at an early age, the better off your retirement will be.

However, this brings us to another of those paradoxical situations in retirement planning. When you need to be doing the most saving towards retirement (in your twenties) it is usually the last thing that any of us wish to do.

A recent survey (October 2010) by the National Consumer Council, revealed that 1 in 3 people aged 30 or under are making no savings towards their retirement at all. It seems that these people are all mistrustful of the government system, the savings industry and company schemes. So, to ensure that their lack of trust is fully appreciated, they are just abstaining. This is the generation that is having a family later in life and so will not be in a position to save hard for the next fifteen to twenty years either. Currently, they choose not to, soon they will be financially unable. The thought of a third of all pensioners having no nest egg at all when I get to retirement age is scary. The government of the day will be forced to help them. Who will pay?

This, of course is only half of the battle. For this generation, that has 1 person in 3 doing nothing, almost certainly has the other 2 people doing far less than they need too! In forty or so year’s time, this generation (my generation!) will have almost no pension provision. The government will be required to support FULLY almost everyone.

This is being combined with an exodus from the developed nations of our truly talented and wealthy people. They can see what is coming in the future and can also see that governments will have to extract the money needed from somewhere. This money will come from higher taxation. For this reason, the prices of residential property in tax havens are soaring. Many of the truly wealthy have already left their home nations.

It will, however, leave Europe with a taxpayer imbalance. As the governments give away more and more money they need to tax productive people with increasingly higher rates. The major nations will find themselves left with populations that largely receive state handouts for pensions, housing, child support payments, disability allowances and unemployment benefits whilst thoughtful citizens with money, good advice and motivation will find another ‘provider’.

I use the term ‘provider’ with care. Taxation, is not a monopoly because there are hundreds of other competitors. Whilst you or I live in the UK, we have to pay UK taxes. If, however, we move to (lets pick a nation) France, the French government will want to tax us. You can compare the tax rates (as well as all the other lifestyle and employment factors) and make a decision. But, if you have ‘significant’ wealth, why not choose Bermuda, the Bahamas or Belize? You will still be paying tax somewhere, it just might be at a rate that is 20 or 30% cheaper!

This will leave governments with a difficult Catch 22 type decision. They need to tax individuals more heavily, but the more they tax, the more people leave. This, in turn, causes tax rates to need even bigger increases forcing more people to leave.

The governments of the future will find that they are stuck between a rock and a very, very hard place. Alas, there are no magic wands and I don’t propose to have the right answer. In truth, I am not even sure I know what the right question is! If it were that easy, there would be no problem.

All of the above was related to the UK, for the simple reason that I have read far more about the UK pension problems than elsewhere. But, that does not mean that there are no pension shortfalls in other developed countries, far from it.

President George W. Bush is currently trying to find a route to solve the coming disaster in America when the ‘Baby Boomers’ start retiring in about 2011. Whether he finds a solution or not, we must at least give him credit for trying to hold a very difficult debate.

]]>http://expatwealth.com/2016/08/16/expat-retirement-plans/feed/0Expats need an Investment Strategyhttp://expatwealth.com/2016/08/16/expats-need-investment-strategy/
http://expatwealth.com/2016/08/16/expats-need-investment-strategy/#respondTue, 16 Aug 2016 07:26:43 +0000http://expatwealth.com/?p=2977Not too long ago everyone was talking about great ideas for making money – stock markets, real estate, emerging market funds, A share trading… Even people A LOT less smart than you seemed to be doing great. Now, however, the markets are unpredictable and the economic news is frightening. Investing is always less sexy when […]

]]>Not too long ago everyone was talking about great ideas for making money – stock markets, real estate, emerging market funds, A share trading… Even people A LOT less smart than you seemed to be doing great. Now, however, the markets are unpredictable and the economic news is frightening. Investing is always less sexy when the charts aren’t heading up, but that can be just when you should pay the most attention. If you have money in real estate or markets, it is important to figure out an investment plan that makes sense for you.

Successful investors have a strategy

Deciding on an investment strategy depends a number of variables – including how much money you have to invest, the length of your investment horizon (or time limit), your tolerance for risk, and the amount of time you are willing to spend tending your portfolio.

To help understand just what Investment Strategy is and determine which one suits you, let’s take a look at three common approaches to investment: Dollar Cost Averaging, Market Timing and Technical analysis.

Dollar Cost Averaging: Simple, Safe, Systematic

Dollar Cost Averaging is the strategy that most experts recommend for individual investors. In the DCA approach, you decide on a regular (monthly, quarterly, semi annual or annual) amount to be invested, which you then invest regardless of market or economic conditions. This is a conservative approach that spreads risk and helps long-term investors avoid the risk of buying at market highs.

The advantage of the Dollar Cost Averaging strategy is its safety, simplicity and consistency. The downside? Returns tend to lag the market during bull moves.

Market Timing: Macro-economic analysis

Market Timing has lost it’s luster in the last few years, but still has it’s share of adherents. If DCA is about staying the course then Market Timing is about jumping in and out at the right time. Market timers try to spot market troughs and invest in beaten-down stocks – and then try to sell as the value of the shares reaches a top. The advantage is that there is a real opportunity for stellar returns if you are smart, lucky and brave. The disadvantage is that many market timers end up buying at market highs and selling in despair at market lows.

Technical Analysis: Constant monitoring and Active trading

Technical Analysis has many followers in Asia, but is considered a specialist technique in the west. Sometimes called “chartists”, technical analysts do not care about the fundamentals of an investment – just the price history. They look for traditional trading patterns that can predict which way the market is heading. Although technical analysis can look like witchcraft, it actually has some very solid theoretical underpinnings.

]]>http://expatwealth.com/2016/08/16/expats-need-investment-strategy/feed/0The Cost of Living in Singaporehttp://expatwealth.com/2016/08/16/cost-living-singapore/
http://expatwealth.com/2016/08/16/cost-living-singapore/#respondTue, 16 Aug 2016 07:25:35 +0000http://expatwealth.com/?p=2975Singapore is a financial hub in the center of Southeast Asia. It is a small island city-state that is surrounded by countries that have per capita incomes that does not approach Singapore’s. Basically, Singapore is an expensive place to live compared to the rest of the region. Before relocating to Singapore, it is important to […]

]]>Singapore is a financial hub in the center of Southeast Asia. It is a small island city-state that is surrounded by countries that have per capita incomes that does not approach Singapore’s. Basically, Singapore is an expensive place to live compared to the rest of the region. Before relocating to Singapore, it is important to realize that the cost of living in Singapore is high in every regard compared to its neighbours, but there are a few saving graces. One such saving grace is that the salaries mirror the costs, and people generally have a high standard of living. The following is a review of some of the specifics of the cost of living in Singapore, in Singaporean dollars, which for one SGD dollar there are 0.80 USD.

At a cheap restaurant you’re likely to spend around 10 dollars for a meal. Mid-range establishments will tend to run you up 25 dollars or more. A local beer is 6 dollars, and a soda is 1.50. Food is not the most expensive item when we consider the cost of living in Singapore. A kilo of potatoes and a kilo of rice cost the same at 3 dollars.

The transportation in Singapore is also not very expensive on a global scale. Again, in the region the cost of living here outstrips neighbors like Indonesia and Malaysia by far, but on an international index, 1.80 for a one-way bus ticket within the city is not overly expensive.

You can find clothes for cheap just across the border, which is the best plan of action if your wardrobe is lacking. Cost of living typically includes clothes, but retail outlets will clean you out in Singapore. Leisure and recreational activities like going to the movies and to sports games cost about average on a global scale. Cost of living typically doesn’t include travel, but it is worth mentioning that since Singapore is so close to Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia, a trip abroad is not expensive.

Where the cost of living in Singapore starts to climb well above international averages is in the amount you’ll pay for your rent. Typically, Singapore’s single-bedroom apartments rank among the more expensive in the world, while multiple-room apartments are for some reason more affordable. The reason rents are so high has to do with the fact that Singapore has a very limited amount of space, and real estate is a valuable commodity in the domestic market. You can visit Numbeo, this website has collected detailed information about the cost of living in Singapore.

The first question that pops into everyone’s mind when thinking about relocating to another country is: how much does it cost? Money plays one of the biggest roles in daily life, and it makes sense that everybody factors it into any major life decision. The cost of living in Singapore is comparable to all major cities around the world. It ranks as one of the most expensive cities in all of Asia, but that’s not to say that you have to be rich to live there. There are many different levels in Singapore so you simply have to find the one that fits your budget.

After housing you have to consider your bills. In Singapore your bills will run somewhere in the three hundred US dollar range considering electricity, internet, water and your mobile phone. Public transportation is a great deal. You can get a one way ticket on local transportation for $1.50 and a monthly pass for about $60.00. You have to pay more if you want to take taxis around town, but that is to be expected. For more information visit the official website about Public transportation in Singapore.

After housing, it seems like all of our money goes to food. Some people eat to stay alive while others eat as a form of entertainment. In Singapore you will have lots of delicious food options to choose from. There are high end restaurants you can spend an entire paycheck at, or there are local restaurants where you can eat cheaply. As for groceries, there are great local markets to buy your weekly food. There are many high end grocery stores as well.

The cost of living in Singapore ranks up with the major cities in the world. It compares to New York, London, and Tokyo. But, just like all of those other cities, you can find a lifestyle that fits your budget. As long as you have a steady income, you can have a very enjoyable life in Singapore, without going broke.

]]>http://expatwealth.com/2016/08/16/cost-living-singapore/feed/0American Expat Tax Returns – Winning with IRShttp://expatwealth.com/2015/09/05/american-expat-tax-returns-winning-with-irs/
http://expatwealth.com/2015/09/05/american-expat-tax-returns-winning-with-irs/#respondSat, 05 Sep 2015 06:56:00 +0000http://expatwealth.com/?p=2854Failing to report large amounts of income on the expat tax return will definitely result in doing time, a situation that is not desirable by any of the new comers in a foreign country. This is why it is important to find out more about IRS and how you can deal with them in a […]

]]>Failing to report large amounts of income on the expat tax return will definitely result in doing time, a situation that is not desirable by any of the new comers in a foreign country. This is why it is important to find out more about IRS and how you can deal with them in a decent way.

One thing that you should know of is that those expats living in USA should include in their tax return one or both of these two benefits: the foreign earned income exclusion and the foreign tax credit. These two can reduce the expat tax return to zero. Let’s see how these things work out for your status as an expat:

* With foreign earned income exclusion you are given the opportunity of excluding up to $92,900 of income made in 2011 by filling the 2555 Form. This will put no tax on that income when this one was gained outside USA. One requirement that can make you eligible for this exclusion would be to have a tax put on the income in your home country or the country where you have earned that income over a period of 330 days.

* Housing exclusion can be another benefit on expat tax return and you are eligible for this only if you qualify for the exclusion from above. Another requirement would be to have housing expenses that outrun the amount of $40.72/day (this amount varying with the location).

* Foreign tax credit is an addition to the exclusion that expat tax return offers. You can claim this credit as being not a deduction but rather a dollar for dollar tax credit but it comes with limitation to the amount of income tax in USA.

* Late tax return comes for those expats who have omitted to file for tax return because they do not have any income. In case you are in this position you should expect IRS to assess taxes and when you are found with having no income then you can claim the tax credit while filing a return.

There is one obligation that you as an American expat should file for: reporting any foreign bank account while filing the TD F 90-22.1 Form. This one comes as a separate expat tax return and it is very easy to file for these accounts even if they are in a large number. If you fail to do so, you can confront with severe penalties on IRS behalf, therefore do not forget that the form can be filled by June 30 of every year.

]]>http://expatwealth.com/2015/09/05/american-expat-tax-returns-winning-with-irs/feed/0Is Offshore Investing Right For American and British Expatriates ?http://expatwealth.com/2015/09/05/is-offshore-investing-right-for-american-and-british-expatriates/
http://expatwealth.com/2015/09/05/is-offshore-investing-right-for-american-and-british-expatriates/#respondSat, 05 Sep 2015 06:55:06 +0000http://expatwealth.com/?p=2852Expats living and working overseas eventually have to grapple with the question of what to do about savings and investing. For those of you who aren’t earning or saving anything – well you clearly have a different set of priorities to deal with in the short term. But for those of you who are earning […]

]]>Expats living and working overseas eventually have to grapple with the question of what to do about savings and investing. For those of you who aren’t earning or saving anything – well you clearly have a different set of priorities to deal with in the short term. But for those of you who are earning more than you spend here in Shanghai, then you have to make a decision about where the money should go.

Is offshore investing for you?

Yes, if you plan on staying offshore for long periods of time over the rest of your life. The tax advantage is strongest and/or legalist if you never repatriate it – or yourself (in many places including the EU). Everyone’s situation is different and you should always check with someone who really knows the specifics of your case before you make any decision. Still, if you are working on that clever premise that you’ll park your big payout offshore when you go back to your fast-track life in San Francisco and eventually retire tax-free in Bali, you had better do some serious planning. Tax criminals are made – not borne. This is exactly where other-wise sharp operators go so very, very wrong.

No, if the amount of money is modest and you plan on returning home soon. Offshore investing only really makes sense if you plan on staying overseas for at least 6 more months.

Maybe, if you are making a US-style salary in Shanghai and you plan on being here another 18 months. Offshore investing can be big & sexy – or it can be more on par with setting up a 401k . Stuffing wads of cash in your sock drawer is actually your second-worst option. Many highly paid expats end up squandering impressive amounts of money in a city where rents are low and entertainment is only expensive-ish. Just because you are living in Shanghai or Beijing doesn’t mean your planning can go on hold.

Another strong candidate is anyone expecting a change in family status: weddings, babies, and other. You should be reviewing your status at this time anyway, and the fact that you are overseas makes it that much more important to find reliable advice.

The best advice we can offer you is to seek the advice of a qualified, knowledgeable professional advisor who can review your unique situation and offer you a range of options that suits your needs and risk tolerance.

]]>http://expatwealth.com/2015/09/05/is-offshore-investing-right-for-american-and-british-expatriates/feed/0Expat Relocation Package: Are you kidding yourself about your monthly spend?http://expatwealth.com/2015/09/05/expat-relocation-package-are-you-kidding-yourself-about-your-monthly-spend/
http://expatwealth.com/2015/09/05/expat-relocation-package-are-you-kidding-yourself-about-your-monthly-spend/#respondSat, 05 Sep 2015 06:54:05 +0000http://expatwealth.com/?p=2850The bigger your earning, the more important it is to identify your ‘free cash flow’ or excess income that you can set aside for investment. This is much harder to do in Shanghai and other major Asian capital cities because costs and charges are so different, expats’ spending habits change and many big items are […]

]]>The bigger your earning, the more important it is to identify your ‘free cash flow’ or excess income that you can set aside for investment. This is much harder to do in Shanghai and other major Asian capital cities because costs and charges are so different, expats’ spending habits change and many big items are covered by employers.

Financial planners calculate your ‘excess’ income which is free to be invested as:

Net salary – expenses – discretionary spending (travel, restaurants, clothing, etc)
If a plan doesn’t take into account the last part of the equation – the discretionary income that defines your lifestyle – then it is not going to be effective or long-lasting. A good planner will focus on doing everything possible to maintain your standard of living and range of activities. Be on the lookout for aggressive financial planners or advisors who intentionally pad your excess income in the hopes of boosting their commissions from the bigger investment.

The true danger here is that many people have a distorted view of their own spending. They tend to under-count their expenses –and ignore their discretionary spending all together. Early iterations of your financial plan may indicate that your excess cash-flow at the end of the month is 70% of your salary. While this may turn out to be accurate, it is more likely that you are grossly underestimating your true expenses. If you are spending over $500 every month on restaurants then you can’t calculate your food budget based on the maids supermarket budget. You have to be realistic about your habits, customs and lifestyle. If travel, restaurants, shopping, bars or anything else is a significant part of your life, then you have to count it.

One advantage to doing this kind of rigorous analysis of your own finances is that you will have better information about the amount money you can comfortably invest. A second benefit is that if you find that you are falling short of your goals and need to save more, then this is precisely the information you need to adjust your free-spending ways.

The tax advantages of Australian tax residents holding an offshore bond

While abroad, non-resident Australians holding a Guernsey based offshore bond will benefit from ‘gross-roll up’ (investments generally growing virtually free of tax throughout the time the offshore bond is held subject only to a potential withholding tax deducted at source in certain jurisdictions) and will also benefit from the fact that no Australian Income Tax liability will arise on full surrender of individual policies or partial surrender across individual policies within a plan.

After moving to Australia, despite the fact that Australian tax residents are subject to tax on their worldwide income including the gains abroad, if they hold an offshore bond for more than 10 years (this period includes the time that the planholder was a non-Australian resident) then they have no Income Tax liability on partial/full surrenders occurring in insurance year 11 and thereafter.

Further, they may increase the premium every insurance year by up to 25% without incurring any Income Tax liability.

Example: An individual takes out an offshore bond on 01/10/2003 with an annual premium of $12,000. Assume approximately 7% growth and that immediately before the end of the 8th year the surrender value of the plan is $112,000.

Also, the planholder intends to take 3 partial surrenders each of $15,000 immediately before the end of the 8th, 9th and 10th insurance years. There have been no previous withdrawals.

Rule of thumb
As a rule of thumb, if a plan (or individual policy) has made a chargeable gain and is held for more than 10 years, any gain made on partial/full surrender thereafter will be disregarded for Income Tax purposes if the beneficiary is the original beneficial owner of the plan (or individual policy) or he/she acquired the interest by way of gift.

This rule of thumb is subject to the condition that the total premiums paid in any insurance year of the plan life do not exceed by more than 25% the total premiums paid in the immediately preceding insurance year.

]]>http://expatwealth.com/2013/01/16/australian-expat-tax-offshore-bonds-returningmigrating-australia-obtaining-tax-resident-status/feed/1London Road – Property Investment in UKhttp://expatwealth.com/2012/11/21/london-road-property-investment/
http://expatwealth.com/2012/11/21/london-road-property-investment/#respondWed, 21 Nov 2012 16:47:58 +0000http://expatwealth.com/?p=1112Key Points: Built in capital equity from point of purchase High Yielding at an average of 8%+ gross Positive cash ow with coverage of a repayment mortgage plus income Mix of one and two bedroom apartments within a courtyard development – produced to a high quality specication Centrally located and within minutes from the city’s main […]

Mix of one and two bedroom apartments within a courtyard development – produced to a high quality specication

Centrally located and within minutes from the city’s main business, shopping and leisure areas

Excellent transport links, within walking distance to a mainline railway station

– 45 minutes to Cambridge or London and less than 4 miles from motorway access A1(M).

Fully managed hands o investment with the benets of direct ownership

Prices from under GBP £74,5000

Property Features

An income producing asset for life

Build due to commence June 2012

18 month deposit terms

Tesco as secured tenant within the scheme

Full property management with a specificaccount manager, offering an allocated, one point of contact for overseas clients.

London Road Property Introduction.

Welcome to Prosperity. London Road is our latest, exciting UK property investment opportunity. Located in East of England within the ‘London-Stanstead-Cambridge-Peterborough Growth Corridor’, we are delighted to present our latest development.

Known as Britain’s long term sustainable growth city with its program of development costing £1 billion over 15 years, Peterborough is a vibrant and dynamic city. With a highly accessible transport network, it is seen as a commuter town to Cambridge and London making it a highly attractive destination option for companies, students and business professionals alike.

London Road is located in Hempsted, making it a prime investment hotspot and offering high rental yields right from the point of completion. This small, bespoke, mixed use development offers investors the opportunity to acquire a hands off investment at a discounted price, resulting in an income-producing asset with built in equity from the point of purchase.

This combined with our eighteen month purchase plan creates the minimal risk, high return prospect for our Prosperity Investors at London Road.

About Prosperity
For over twenty years, Prosperity has worked at the heart of the UK property industry. Strong industry knowledge, coupled with an unrivalled contact base of industry and legal professionals have served us well in securing high yielding investments in the residential, commercial and overseas property markets.

Recognising the housing opportunities prevalent in the early nineties, Prosperity capitalised on the increasing availability of regulated tenancy properties that came available to the open market, as well as a relatively undiscovered buy-to-let market.

Keen to capitalise on investment opportunities on a global scale, Prosperity ventured further aeld, into the Greek islands of Cyprus and Kephalonia. Selling over 2,000 properties across specially selected sites, Prosperity’s foresight in capitalising on freshly emerging EU land resulted in a performance grossly outperforming the market, and securing high-prot returns for its investors.

Facilitating the rapid growth of client referrals from IFA firms and private clients across the UK, our business continued to grow. With a team of professionals managing over 400 residential properties with a combined value of £64 million for clients nationwide, Prosperity made the natural and timely progression into fund asset management.

Throughout the turbulent markets of recent years, Prosperity has maintained its position as one of the UK’s most reputable and successful investment specialists – indicative of a company armed with the knowledge, resource and foresight to recognise market shifts ahead of the game. Building on an international network of client referrals, our business has grown entirely on its own merit, leaving us to concentrate on our speciality – delivering sound property investments that meet entirely, our clients’ objectives.

Our methods of sourcing prime stock are based on rigorous criteria, ensuring the key measures are met- minimal costs for maximum return. Location, transport links, as well as rst rate commercial and educational facilities are just a few of the crucial requirements for all Prosperity acquisitions.

The Scheme
London Road is a self-contained, mixed use development by Sheppard developments in conjunction with O & H Properties. Set across two levels, oering residential and commercial use, comprising of 14 residential units on the rst oor – 7 one bedroom and 7 two-bedroom apartments, each set within a courtyard design.

Once inside, you can enjoy the high specication and quality finishes produced by Sheppard developments, such as large corner windows for maximum natural light, hardwood veneer doors and stainless steel sockets throughout.

These high grade nishes, combined with custom built kitchens with integral appliances and stylish bathroom designs, come together to create a home oering luxury with comfort.

The Location
Peterborough, in the county of Cambridgeshire is now building a reputation as the city with the long term
sustainable growth capability. Located just 80 miles north of London and 40 miles from Cambridge,
it’s easily commutable by road and rail and currently an aordable hot spot for the rst time buyer.

The city is undergoing a fteen year £1 billion redevelopment which started in 2006. London Road is well served by both local and long distance rail services as Peterborough is a major stop on the East Coast Main Line, 45–50 minutes’ journey time from central London, with high-speed intercity services from King’s Cross at around a 20-minute frequency.

Situated o the London Road in Hempsted this modern, mixed use development is ideally located to attract the rapidly rising number of professionals, young couples, and students who are choosing Peterborough to live, work and study.

Peterborough has started to expand once more following its designation as part of the’London-Stanstead-Cambridge-Peterborough Growth Corridor’ as the benets from the one billion pounds of regeneration start to take effect.

Education
Anglia Ruskin University is one of the largest universities in the East of England. ARU has its Royal Charter, being fully accredited by the British Accreditation Council.

ARU is currently rated as Internationally Excellent (3*) or World Leading (4*) showing a 35 position improvement over 2011.

With over 30,000 young academics living and working in the area the vibrant social and cultural scenes are growing at the same pace.

Peterborough’s excellent transport links and location makes it an attractive proposition for overseas students with ARU campuses in Cambridge and Chelmsford, University Centres in King’s Lynn, Peterborough and Harlow and collaborative partnerships with institutions in a variety of locations throughout the world, including London, Berlin, Budapest, Athens, Basel, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Trinidad.

Culture and Lifestyle
Peterborough is one of the UK’s fastest growing, greenest and most historic cities. It has an incredibly vibrant arts, culture and heritage community with levels of activity not typically found in communities of comparable size.

Described as one of England’s ‘most interesting places to live’,the cathedral city hosts a continual events and festival calendar.

Peterborough’s city centre oers the total shopping experience from top designer brands to independent retailers, high street favourites and the famous farmers market held once a week in the city centre.

Peterborough’s fantastic eateries, relaxing cafés and stylish restaurants mean there is always a huge choice where the cities culinary scene prides itself on the strengths of its independent restaurants which truly reect the city’s multiculturalism.

The Residential Market
Q1 2012 -Trying to cut through the mixed messages about the market is important. According to The Nationwide, whose report covers both lending valuations and land registry sales. House prices were up by
4.7% at the end of 2011 as a national average, but property transactions had slipped to their lowest level in two years.

The market is currently building a pent up demand for property due firstly to an undersupply of new property and secondly, want-to-be buyers unable to source funding for purchases.

The substantial shift towards private renting is increasing the importance of rental growth across the housing market.

The LSL Property Services Group reports that in June rental inflation had reached 4.4% across the UK and 6.9% in London. Increased demands on the private rented sector, from new and existing households, reect the changing nature of the housing cycle.

The big question is who will supply the stock to meet this demand? Figures from the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) show that the increase in the number of buy to let (BTL) mortgages is failing to keep pace with the demand for rented accommodation.

In 2011, over 108,000 new BTL mortgages were granted, but taking into account factors including remortgaging this only translated into 75,200 additional mortgages, down from a peak of 190,000 in 2007.
As accidental landlords eventually leave the sector, there is an opportunity for equity rich investors.

2013 / 2014
The need for banks to start lending again is important in numerous sectors and key within the property market. Lenders are already showing signs of competitiveness by the level of new mortgage products available. This cycle will look to continue as lenders compete for market share and therefore creating more aggressive rate offers.

It is expected that the more equity rich prime markets will lead the recovery in house prices. The earliest signicant growth will be fuelled both by the continued introduction of rst time buyers with
improved lending, alongside the pension provision sector of the investor market. Growth over the next ve years is expected to be much like the pattern witnessed in the mid to late 1990’s, where prices rose at a steady rate due to a progressive increase in overall housing demand.

]]>http://expatwealth.com/2012/11/21/london-road-property-investment/feed/0Expat Offshore Banking – Your Solution to Your Moneyhttp://expatwealth.com/2012/11/16/expat-offshore-banking-solution-money/
http://expatwealth.com/2012/11/16/expat-offshore-banking-solution-money/#respondFri, 16 Nov 2012 15:30:49 +0000http://expatwealth.com/?p=699Being an expat there will always be a problem with managing your money in a good way and this article will show you how expat offshore banking can be a solution to your savings. It is true that with the new status in a foreign country there will be a lot of things to take […]

]]>Being an expat there will always be a problem with managing your money in a good way and this article will show you how expat offshore banking can be a solution to your savings. It is true that with the new status in a foreign country there will be a lot of things to take care of, not to mention that you will probably have hard times to adjust to the new living circumstances. But the matter of your hard earned money will always be a priority given the fact that by the time you will settle in you still need to have your finances well taken care of.

Through the expat offshore banking you are presented with the opportunity to make the choice of entrusting all the cash without worrying a bit about this. You have the international financial market services available for you while you do not have to be at all concerned on having your money protected. These services are there to help you and if you want to find out more about them, you should do some research and check with those institutions which can guarantee full support and security.

The expat offshore banking offers the full advantage of tax benefits and investment while you spend your life within a foreign country with as little of concern for your hard earned money. Among the other benefits of expat offshore banking you will as well have the services performed with maximum of confidentiality, with accessibility, and more important with flexibility. This last feature is an essential part of offshore banking since it can easily tailor to every investor’s needs coming with plans and solutions that will give them the ease of mind and peaceful time at nights.

One other benefit of expat offshore banking comes from the fact that there is no need for the ones belonging to offshore jurisdiction to provide consent or authorization. Find more information online related to this type of offshore banking and the perks it comes with.

]]>http://expatwealth.com/2012/11/16/expat-offshore-banking-solution-money/feed/0Expat Wealth Management Mistakes to Avoidhttp://expatwealth.com/2012/11/16/expat-wealth-management-mistakes-avoid/
http://expatwealth.com/2012/11/16/expat-wealth-management-mistakes-avoid/#commentsFri, 16 Nov 2012 11:19:58 +0000http://expatwealth.com/?p=689The status of an expat is more often than not an exciting experience but there are many wealth management mistakes that you can make if you do not take the cautionary measures. This article will introduce you to these mistakes in order to be able to avoid making them in the future: * One mistake […]

]]>The status of an expat is more often than not an exciting experience but there are many wealth management mistakes that you can make if you do not take the cautionary measures. This article will introduce you to these mistakes in order to be able to avoid making them in the future:

* One mistake would be not to seek financial advice especially with matters that relate to managing your money when it needs to be connected to financial institutions or financial situations such as paying taxes or applying for loans.

* Another mistake would be to underestimate the costs for your living in the new country as an expat. It is important for this fact to thoroughly work out your budget that you have in this new country. This one is definitely different than the one you have got in your home country. The wealth management mistake can be in that of calculating these costs in the same way you did back home. The solution is to over calculate your living costs and consider that things are more expensive. This will help you have good surprises in regard to the overall costs in this new country.

* The next wealth management mistake as an expat would be to get carried away by the excitement that the new country offers. You may have the feeling that you are in holiday and for this fact spend more than normally. This mistake can be avoided by always keeping track of your budget and thus allowing yourself some escapades every once in a while within your budget.

* Not to learn more about the tax system in this new country. Many expats should avoid this wealth management mistake by always looking for qualified financial advice and get more knowledge on how to prepare for the tax levels. You should as such learn what exactly you need to pay when it comes to taxes and what deductions are there available in this financial area.

* Not announcing HMRC of your new status as an expat. This is valid for UK citizens as they need to notify HMRC of their change by filling out the P85 form and thus not being chased for taxes in two countries.

* One last mistake that you need to avoid as an expat is to forget checking whether the life insurance policy can cover you while being abroad. In order to avoid this mistake you should get professional advice and thus make sure that you get the right coverage in the new country.